UFC 108 Analysis: The Main Card

There was visible relief on the faces of UFC brass after their
first event of 2010 went well. Picking up on the thread of injuries
and withdrawals that plagued UFC
106 and UFC
107, the Jan. 2 show lost a number of superstars, including
middleweight champion Anderson
Silva, heavyweight king Brock
Lesnar and Brazilian legend Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira, to injury.

What happened: It took dos Santos, a
Nogueira protégé, a little more than two minutes to sweep Yvel, a
former Rings star, out of the way in a glorified squash match. The
33-year-old Dutchman, who took the fight on four weeks notice,
appeared unable to cope with the powerful Brazilian’s work rate
from the opening bell, as dos Santos scored with unanswered hooks
to the body and overhand power punches. Yvel, having been knocked
out just twice in his 50-fight career, was perhaps too confident in
his chin and paid the price when Nogueira’s former gardener felled
him with counter left hook and sealed the deal with a barrage of
shots on the ground.

Forecast for dos Santos: With Yvel out
of the way, there may be efforts to put together a fight with
compatriot Gabriel
Gonzaga, the man dos Santos was originally supposed to meet at
UFC 108. Bouts with fellow strikers like Cheick Kongo
are also in the Brazilian powerhouse’s future.

Forecast for Yvel: The obvious choice
would be to pit “The Hurricane” against Paul
Buentello; they were scheduled to meet at Affliction “Trilogy”
in August. Some Dutch-on-Dutch violence might work well, too, as
Yvel, an Ivan Hippolyte student, could take on Bob
Schrijber disciple Stefan
Struve in a confrontation between two generations.

What happened: Miller feasted on a
returning Ludwig, who had less than two weeks to prepare for this
bout. Experts were expecting Miller, a fighter with a known
wrestling pedigree, to take down the kickboxer right off the bat,
but he instead decided to box with the seasoned pugilist.
Surprisingly, it paid off, as he tagged and dropped Ludwig before
mounting him and ultimately cinching the fight-winning armbar.

Forecast for Miller: Already quite high
in the 155-pound pecking order, there are several fights that make
sense for the 26-year-old. Tyson
Griffin and Sean Sherk, two
men scheduled to fight Miller at UFC 108, top the list. A meeting
with American Top Team’s Cole Miller,
a victor on the UFC 108 undercard, might also prove intriguing.

Forecast for Ludwig: “Bang” needs to be
put into the Octagon against a certain type of opponent, one
willing to trade punches but who has not proven as refined on the
ground as Miller. Spencer
Fisher, Melvin
Guillard or Dennis Siver
seem like perfect fits.

What happened: Lauzon returned from an
11-month injury break and got off to a strong start, as he
threatened with a diving kimura and cut Stout with sharp elbows. As
the fight wore on, it became more and more obvious that the
Canadian had as much of an advantage standing as Lauzon had on the
ground. As Lauzon’s takedowns became less and less explosive, Stout
started to dominate the fight on the feet, scoring at will with
various combinations. Lauzon mounted a final offensive with two
minutes to go in the final round, but Stout easily defended his
guillotine choke.

Forecast for Stout: The Shawn
Tompkins disciple has proven himself as the best technical
kickboxer in the UFC’s 155-pound division. Dennis Siver could be
the ideal man to test the chin of Stout, who has never been knocked
out. The young Canadian would also be a good test as Takanori
Gomi’s first opponent inside the Octagon.

Forecast for Lauzon: As his fight with
Stout wore on, it became apparent that ring rust and his lack of
top-level wrestling skills were undermining Lauzon’s efforts. It
would be in his best interest to pair him with another Brazilian
jiu-jitsu player for his next bout. A rematch with Cole Miller or a
fight with fellow “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 alumnus Nate Diaz
sound appealing.

What happened: Daley took advantage of
short-notice changes to one of his fights for the second time in a
little more than three months, as he blasted Hazelett in the
co-main event. Hazelett may be an expert grappler, but he was the
perfect opponent for the Nottingham, England, knockout artist.
Hazelett had reportedly focused his training on muay Thai in
preparation for the bout, but he could not overcome the experience
advantage Daley held in stand-up fighting. The KO came with a
counter left midway through the first round.

Forecast for Daley: “Semtex” was
presented two good opportunities and made the most of them to start
his UFC career. Despite his spectacular finishes, he has plenty of
detractors who find themselves at odds with Daley’s brash persona
and believe he has not yet earned his spot as a welterweight
contender. While he has personally requested a shot at Thiago
Alves, he may get an even tougher challenge in the form of
Josh
Koscheck. Similarly heavy-handed and equipped with some serious
wrestling chops, Koscheck might be tailor-made to derail Daley.

Forecast for Hazelett: The 23-year-old
Cincinnati native may have received a superstar entrance, but, in
reality, the matchup with a seasoned professional like Daley -- who
has more than 30 fights under his belt -- came too early. Seeing as
though he remains one of its most creative ground fighters, the UFC
will make certain to rebuild Hazelett carefully. Tests against
Brian
Foster, T.J. Grant or
DaMarques
Johnson could be in his future.

What happened: Evans showed he wanted
nothing to do with Silva’s punching power, as he took a page out of
the book of his teammate, Georges
St. Pierre, and dominated the fight with his wrestling.
Minimizing the risk of getting hit with the big punch, “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 2 winner ended most of his attacks with a
takedown, though he could not keep Silva on the ground. For two
rounds, his game plan worked like a charm, but in the third,
Silva’s patience snapped, and he baited Evans into an exchange of
blows that culminated with a knockdown of the former champion.
Lacking the necessary fitness, Silva could not finish Evans on the
ground, ultimately losing a unanimous decision in a fight that
ended just as it was getting interesting.

Forecast for Evans: Eying a potential
bout with his arch nemesis, Evans shut down talk of a rematch with
the man who dethroned him -- Lyoto
Machida. It now looks like his much-anticipated showdown with
Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson will indeed materialize, perhaps as early as
UFC 113 in May.

Forecast for Silva: It took the young
Brazilian just two and a half years to headline his first UFC
event. Once there, Silva and his camp showed a shocking lack of
strategy and direction for a bout of such magnitude. American Top
Team has proven masterful in putting the biggest and strongest
fighters into the Octagon, but after Silva’s performance, some
questions need answering. Silva could next face Luis Arthur
Cane, Matt Hamill
or Brandon Vera
sometime in 2010.